MICROGAMING Focus


casino players that could be a great lifestyle prize, but for a bingo player, they view the prize differently - in terms of tax, fuel and cost of ownership. Microgaming has taken its time entering the bingo sector, but firmly believes that it now understands the market in side out. "We are currently targeting new partners with an expanding offer that increases the usability of the product and expands the features and number of side games on offer," outlines Neill. "We believe that the sheer volume of brands all served by the same software providers enables us to offer a differentiated product into a saturated market. Our bespoke development for our partners ensures that their offer will stand out from the crowd."


THAT'SNOTALL FOLKS "We are incredibly pleased with our The Lord of the Rings game. It's been a two year process to secure the licence with Warner Bros. and there's been a huge amount of work that has gone into the game itself. I am very proud of the team behind this new title," states Roger Raatgever, CEO of Microgaming. "The Lord of the Rings is a game that targets a new demographic and with Warner Bros. help we are expanding into new markets. The new Cinematic Reels feature we are unveiling with The Lord of the Rings shows that there remains a whole host of ways to innovate and grow this business. It's a great brand, a great game and tellingly, we made the sensible choice.”


arrived late to market with our bingo product, but we wanted to make sure that we understood the product and the players in this sector. Since launch though we have consistently grown our share of the sector and have some big announcements in the pipeline too. The product is also constantly evolving, which we believe firmly differentiates us from our competitors."


The products Microgaming offers are dynamic, changing every day, every time the player logs in. Cash and physical prizes are hugely important in bingo, whereby the type of prize has to fit the audience. Where some sites might give away cars as competition prizes - for


“We are a software


technology company and I believe our


success is due to the fact thatwe keep it simple. Everything


we knowis changing, butwe are agile and flexible. Inwhatever we do the


commercials have to make sense andwe knowthat the


opportunities today, will change tomorrow."


Roger Raatgever, CEOMicrogaming.


Licensing remains an issue in the online gaming sector, with competitors having set out their stalls by acquiring large numbers of Intellectual Properties in a bid to differentiate their products. The view at Microgaming is that while brands are useful, they should not become all consuming. "I am a firm believer that a brand does not make a good game," states Roger. "As such, we don't sign up every brand. We would not continue to be successful in game development if we didn't know what types of games work and what types of games stick with players. Our success as a company has been defined as much by the deals we haven't done, as those we have. We are proud of our games and our partnerships with customers.


Explaining the philosophy and direction of the Microgaming business, Roger underlines: "We have tried to ensure that we keep the business simple. We are not reliant on one market or one product. We are a technology company and as such we stick to the knitting. The most important element for us is our relationship with customers and if anything, we 'over-service' them. We are seeing software contracts become shorter


G3i I ISSUE 2 I PAGE 37


and the market changing and as such we are adjusting accordingly. However, throughout we need to deliver compelling product, not just us but the industry as a whole."


Regulated markets present a huge opportunity for Microgaming. The 888 joint venture in France is a major development for the company in addition to its Italian poker venture and regulated market in UK. Despite the establishment of Microgaming back in 1994, Roger describes the changes taking place right now as an evolutionary stage in the business. "We haven't yet scratched the surface of new markets," says Roger. "These are exciting times. We believe that being a private non-operating company is a competitive advantage in the online sector right now. We see the consolidation of the listed entities in the online sector as inevitable, but when we make acquisitions, we do so because the deal makes sense."


Detached from the vagaries and pressures of stock market listed businesses, Microgaming is a company with a close affinity and understanding of the mechanics of the industry. "Our roots are here on the Isle of Man. It's been a great base for us and offers a superb quality of life that has helped the company to retain employees and their families. We have 1,200 people working for Microgaming around the world and as we see the opening of regulated markets we are also seeing consolidation and fiercer competition. We are not an operator and we stick to our core competencies," describes Roger. "We are a software technology company and I believe our success is due to the fact that we keep it simple. Everything we know is changing, but we are agile and flexible. In whatever we do the commercials have to make sense and we know that the opportunities today, will change tomorrow."


THE INTERNETISNOTENOUGH The Microgaming team on the Isle of Man is a cohesive and dedicated bunch of technically brilliant and market savvy people that are sickeningly content with their lot. At an evening party celebrating the launch of The Lord of the Rings, which played host to government officials from the island, Microgaming donated £10,000 to charitable causes on the Isle of Man. No one was dropped into a piranha pit, there was a distinct absence of silver-toothed henchmen and most disappointingly of all, no mega-death-ray pointing from the roof of the Microgaming's HQ. However, don't be surprised if there's a plot behind all this for global domination of the online gaming market!


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